Barrino Shines in Combine Testing

New England Recruiting Report | Thursday, July 30th, 2015

In the week before the July evaluation got underway, Nassir Barino was one of the players that stood out at the Elite 75 College Showcase, setting the tone for what was a very productive month in front of college coaches.

Barrino, who played an important backcourt role for the New Jersey Playaz at the EYBL Finals and Las Vegas Fab 48 alike, was impressive not just on the floor but also in the combine portion of the Elite 75.

Barrino led the entire field in the ¾ sprint – which he completed in just 3.31 seconds. He also tested well with his vertical jump, measuring at 31 inches for the standing vertical (5 inches better than the average among the field) and 35.5 inches for the running vertical (again more than 5 inches better than the field).

In total, the testing showed Barrino to be a strong athlete with a particularly impressive ability to generate explosive power, whether it’s sprinting or jumping.

That’s very consistent with what we’ve seen over the summer circuit as Barrino is a compact and powerful guard who can both create pace and get into the lane on the offensive end while his best asset may be his ability to defend the basketball.
His testing numbers also suggest his defensive capabilities will be applicable even off the ball, especially in situations where he’s looking to chase an opposing guard around a screen.

Barrino wasn’t the only player to stand out in the combine testing. Julian Sy measured the quickest lane agility in the field while Conor Cayne led the way in the reactive shuttle. Jackson McCoy and Issaiah Fontaine led the way in the standing vertical leap while Joshua Abraham was tops in the running vertical leap.

The athletic testing data is valuable from both a scouting and training standpoint. For coaches and scouts, the data allows you to better measure an athlete's future potential. For the athlete, the data helps you pinpoint areas where they might not be as naturally gifted but that they can likely improve through training.